Alessandra De Clario is flying a pie in the face of the mothers of Malibu by alleging we’re all developers because of our concerns about mountain lions. The idea that lions were here first so we should just surrender our children as sacrificial lambs may be Ms. De Clario’s idea of great public policy, but few mothers would agree to let these animals roam unchecked in Malibu. Of course, cougars are magnificent creatures, but they eat children and our maternal instincts are as ferocious as the lions.
Ms. De Clario is sounding the clarion call of the current City Council campaign – anyone who does not agree with environmental extremists is a developer. Like most moms in Malibu, I’ve never developed property, but after Animal Control told me they would not pick up the mountain lion in my yard unless it had attacked someone, I realized that the agencies assign a higher priority to the safety of lions than of local children.
In Boulder, Colorado, after a high school student was killed by a mountain lion while jogging on his school track, and increased encounters with lions were reported, the Division of Wildlife Management instituted a new policy. Any lion frequenting a town or neighborhood would be relocated and any lion deemed to be a substantial threat would be killed. California Fish and Game needn’t wait until one of our visitors or residents becomes a victim to do the same.
Anne Hoffman